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I am a great fan of traditions in our family. Traditions create memories. We have a number of traditions in our family around Christmas, birthdays, Christian birthday (ie the date that we accepted Jesus Christ as our own personal Lord & Saviour) and also the kid’s baptisms.

Princess (about to turn 15 this year) has a friend who turns the same age within a week of her. Last year we instituted a new tradition. This friend’s mum and myself decided to give them an adventurous surprise. Our criteria for this surprise included:

Something that they had no idea about

That they would enjoy

It would take them out of their comfort zone

Nothing expensive.

Princess especially is someone who doesn’t like surprises. Even watching a movie, she usually googles the story line so that there is no surprise at the end and she knows what is happening.

Last year was exciting for us as mums but also for the girls. It ended up being a wild dirt buggy ride. The car trip to the place was an agonising 45 minutes long as both of my children tried to guess what it could be. The same thing happened in my friend’s car as they too journeyed to the place. Texts flew back and forth between the cars and the girls each kept trying to guess what it was. It didn’t help them that the place was near an airport so that completely led them on a wild goose chase. We had kept it a total secret.

Half the fun was the surprise and the girls trying to guess it.

Guess what?

This year, we did the same. We asked the girls and they were both excited to do a similar surprise this year. They both expressed that they wanted it as a complete surprise as that was the best part. Thus, we have created a tradition.

We booked the event. Unfortunately, the place wasn’t open during the week outside of the school holidays so we brought forward the event three weeks.

I must admit, one of the best parts was the surprise element.

Princess had no idea.

She was also brilliant at not finding out as she desperately wanted to experience the thrill of the surprise. (Matey looked up the history of the computer and worked out what it was from when I booked it.) Even as we drove into the venue, Princess commented how she had seen a television program that was filmed there and then immediately went on to chat about the school we had just driven past which we were previously talking about. Princess saw the big water inflatables and commented how they would be amazing to go on but it still hadn’t clicked – that this was the surprise.

An hour on the aqua fun park at Melbourne Cable Park. There were water slides, obstacle courses, climbing devices, slippery poles, plenty of challenges and heaps of falling off into the water. Lots of laughter.

The girls & their siblings had a great time. It was a lot harder, apparently, than it looked. Since there were hardly any people there that day, being a Monday, they allowed the girls to stay an extra hour. The girls were totally exhausted at the end of the time, but a great exhaustion. It created a lot of memories.

Now to start planning for next year!!

What traditions does your family have and what new things do you implement to add some fun and excitement to your family life?